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ESL Standards lor Pre-K-12 Students: Grades 9·12

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ESL Standards for Pre-K -12 Students: Grades 9-12 Home: Issues : Standards: PreK-12 Student Stds: ESL Standards Print this page E-mail this page

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Goal 1, Stand a rd 1 To use En glish to communicate i n social setti n g s: St udents will use English t o p articipate in socia l i nteract ions Descriptors • • • • • •

sharing and requesting Information expressing needs, feelings, and ideas using nonverbal communication in social interactions getting personalnee(js met engaging In conversations conducting transactions

Sample Progress Indicators • obta1n, complete, and pnocess application forms, such as driver's license, social secunty, college entrance • express feelings through drama, poetry, or song • make an appointment • defend and argue a position • use prepared notes In an Interview or meeting • ask peers for their opinions, preferences, and desires • correspond with pen pals, Eng lish-speaking acquaintances, friends • write personal essays • make plans for social engagements • shop In a supermarket • engage listener's attention verbally or nonverbally • volu nteer Information and respond to questions about self and family • elic1t information and ask clarification questions • clarify and restate Information as needed • desCribe feelings and emotions after watcho~g a movie] • ind1cate interests, op1nlons, or preferences related to class proJects • give and ask for permiSSIOn • offer and respond to greetings, compliments, inVItations, lntroductlons, and farewells • negotiate solut1ons to problems, interpersonal misunderstandings, and d1sputes • read and write Invitations and thank you letters • use the telephone

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ESL Standards for Pre-K-12 Students: Grades 9-1 2

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4·8 Vignett e

Grade Level : Twelfth grade in a self-con tained ES L class Eng Iish Proficiency Level : Advanced Language of Instruction: English Focus of Instruction: College application process Location : Urban school district in the East Backg round

The followi ng vignette describes a twelfth-grade, self-contained ESL t ransition class of adva nced- level students in an Eastern urban school district. The class is composed of mostly Caribbean and Central American Spanish-speaking students. The stu dents take a regu lar English literature class as well as this transitional ESL class. They are taught by Ms. Rodriguez, a bilingual Spanish/English -speaking teacher whose certification is in English . It is October of the senior year and the students are using English to navigate t he college application process -· from researchi ng post-secondary institutions to practicing for an admissions interview. I nst ructional Sequ ence

Du ring th is long -term project, which lasted for 4 weeks, students used various reference books and semantic mappings to identify their strengths, potential careers, and the kinds of colleges that wou ld su it them. One of the students was reluctant to participate in these activities because he had no inten tion of going to college -- as it was not in his family tradition, and he did not see a need for it. He discussed his feelings with two of his friends in class. Over the period of several days, they convinced him to join in the process, even if he did not plan to go to college. They explained to him that he might not want to go next year, bu t perhaps in the future he would . Also, they suggested the process would help for job applications and interviews. After Ms. Rodriguez reviewed the elements of a business letter with the class, students wrote for college applications and catalogues. Once the application packets were received, the students worked in small groups to draft their essays. As a brainsto rming activity before drafting the essay, the g roups shared their career goals, hobbies, and interests, and the background characteristics that they felt a college might desire in Its applicants. As a homework assignment, each student was to ask a peer or another teacher to list some posit ive features abou t himself or herself. The students were to gather informat ion abou t their work ethic, potential, achievements, and so Forth . The next day, the teacher presented several essays to the class and suggested the students consider one as a model for their own. The students then began working ind ividually on their essays. The next activity for the class focused on the admissions interview . The teacher showed the students a video with two sample interviews and pairs of students prepared lists of questions and personal notes to use in mock interviews . Some of these included: "Tell me about yourself." "What would you like to do after college?" "At this point in your life, what types of courses do you want to explore?" and " What do you think about distance learning and video conferencing in place of sitt ing in a classroom with a professor?" The pairs exchange questions and conduct interviews, taking turns as the interviewer and interviewee. Discussion

Students are encouraged to

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ESL Standards for Pre-K-12 Students: Grades 9-12

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• indicate interests, opinions, or preferences related to class projects • write personal essays • obtain, complete, and process application forms, such as driver's license, social security, college entra nce • use prepared notes in an Interview or meeting • ask peers for their opinions, preferences, and desires The coll ege application process is often confusing to high school seniors, native and nonnative speakers alike. Some immig·r an t students need more guidance and support because th eir families are less knowledgeable about the process. Some ESOL students, even those at advanced levels of proficiency, do not view t hemselves as "college material. " One way to demystify the process is to break it down into discrete tasks as Ms. Rodriguez has done. During this project, Ms. Rodriguez encourages her students to practice and apply many of the language activities th ey have learned over the years in a natural context with real tasks. Several of the planned activities have direct application to socia l situations In the real world. Students will write business letters, and they will go on interviews, whether for a college or for a job. The students take responsibility for most of the work and interact with classmates to accomplish the tasks. They sha re information orally and in written form; they express ideas and give opinions; they write personal essays about themselves. They also ask others for opinions to gather Information they can add to their application essays. When one student is uncomfortable with the project, the teacher allows him to discuss the situation and resolve it with his peers. In conducting mock interviews, the students learn the value of being prepared, such as anticipating the questions and taking notes in advance for possible responses.

Goal 1, Stan dard 2 To use English to communicate in social settings:Students will int eract in, t hrough, and w ith spok en and w ritt en English for personal expression and enjoyment Descriptors

• • • •

describing, reading about, or participating in a favorite activity sharing social and cu ltural traditions and values expressing personal needs, feeli ngs, and ideas participating In popular cultu re

Sample Prog ress I ndicators

• discuss preferences for types of music, book genres, and computer programs • recommend a film or videotape to a friend • write in a diary or personal j ournal • descr ibe, read, or write about a personal hero • persuade peers to join in a favorite act ivity, game, or hobby • discuss issues of personal importance or value • locate information for leisu re activities ( in oral or written form) • write a poem, short story, play, or song • describe favorite storybook characters • recommend a game, book, or computer program • listen to, read, watch, and respond to plays, films, stories, books, songs, poems, computer programs, and magazines

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• • • • •

recount events of interest ask Information questions for personal reasons make requests for personal reasons express enjoyment while playing a game talk about a favorite food or celebration o express humor through verbal and nonverbal means

9 - 12 Vi gnette Grade Level : Tenth grade in a transitional ESL/Ianguage arts class English Proficiency Level : Advanced Language of Instruction: EngIish Focus of I nstruction: Language arts Location : Urban school district in the Southwest Background The following vignette describes a transitional language arts class that prepares ESOL students for a mainstream class the following year. It is taught by a certified English teacher with a masters degree in ESL. Most of the students are native Spanish speakers; a few speak Hindi or Japanese. Instruction Is offered in Eng lish, but the teacher, Mr . Coll ins, uses Spanish and the students use their native languages on occasion, primarily for clarification . The advanced ESOL students wil l receive one ful l English credit for this class when they complete it in June. The high school is located in a city in Arizona. I nstructional Seque nce Every spring The Arizona Chronicle sponsors a poetry contest for high school students. Mr. Collins shared the newspaper's announcement with his class. Several students indicated their Interest in the competition. Viewing it as a voluntary activity, Mr. Collins arranged to meet with Interested students at the end of the school day to form an after-school poetry club. Although as a class they had read and ana lyzed poems, Mr. Collins had never assigned poem composition as a required task. Therefore at this first meeting after school, the students and Mr. Collins spent most of the time discussing strategies for writing poems. Mr . Coll ins explained that ma ny poets write poems about personal experiences or joys or concerns. Aya, a Japanese student, remarked that she occasionally wrote haiku and drew her inspiration from nature. She agreed to share two of her poems about the desert with the group t he following day. In the meanti me, Mr. Collins encouraged the students to keep journals, recording encounters, sights, commonplace or unusual happenings, along with their feelings at the time. These journals would be a source for poems. The students followed Mr. Collins' advice and several began to read poetry books on their own as well. On occasion the group met after school and debated the value of rhyme and meter, works of Pablo Neruda and Maya Angelou, distinctions between metaphor and description, and use of adverbs and adj ectives. They began to write some poems to read to one another and solicit feedback . Mr. Collins was careful to act as a member of the group, not as a teacher, nor as the sole advisor. He too wrote some poems to share, and althoug h he occasiona lly provided technical information, the students ran the poetry group for the most part by t hemselves. After 6 weeks, each member had a poem ready to submit to the newspaper's contest. Even after the submissions had been sent, the group continued to meet for the rest of t he school year. Discu ssi on

Students are encouraged to

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• write a poem, short story, play, or song • write in a diary or personal j ournal • listen to, read, watch, and respond to plays, films, stories, books, songs, poems, computer programs, and magazines The poetry group was formed because of the students' personal interest in writing poetry. The English teacher acted as a catalyst in pointing out t he newspaper's annual contest to the students and providing some technical advice. These ESOL students, all at an advanced level, accepted the challenge, began to read poetry during thei r free time, kept a j ournal as many writers do, and wrote and shared poems. The teacher was a colleague in the process, a member of the group. The students used English to read poems and write their own, to d iscuss poems read and written, and to debate techniques of poem construction . Their enjoyment of the activity became evident when they decided to continue the poetry group even after their poems had been submitted to the newspaper.

Goal 1, Standard 3 To use English to communicate in social setti ngs:Student s will use learn ing strategies t o ext end thei r communicative co mpetence Descriptors

• • • • • • • • • • • •

testing hypotheses about language listening to and imitating how others use English exploring alternative ways of saying things focusing attention selectively seeking support and feedback from others comparing nonverbal and verbal cues self-monitoring and self-evaluating language development using the primary language to ask for clarification learning and using language "chunks" selecting different med ia to help understand language practicing new language using context to get meaning

Sample Progress I ndicators

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

make notes in preparation for a meeting or interview plan and rehearse an anticipated conversation use a dictionary to validate choice of language ask a classmate whether a particular word or phrase is correct use a computer spell checker to verify spelling use written sources to discover or check information keep Individua l notes for language learning test appropriate use of new vocabulary, phrases, and structures ask someone the meaning of a word understa nd verbal directions by comparing them with nonverbal cues { e.g., folding paper into eighths, lining up) tell someone in the na tive language that a direction given in English was not understood recite poems or songs aloud or to oneself im itate a classmate's response to a teacher's question or directions associate realia or d iagrams with written labels to learn vocabulary or construct mea ning practice recently learned language by teaching a peer

g- 12 Vignette

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Grade Level: Eleventh grade in a sheltered content class Eng lish Proficiency Level: Intermediate Language of Instruction : English Focus of Instruction: Driver's education Location: Suburban school district in the West Backg round

This vignette describes an intermediate-level, sheltered content class with students from a variety of language backgrounds in a su burban setting. The class is studying driver's education, and the students have not yet driven. The teacher, Mr. Murphy, has an ESL endorsement. For this class session, he invited Officer Louis to talk about t he dangers of driving . I nstructiona l Sequence

Officer Louis plans to show a short video of teenage car accidents. He introduces the video with a lecture about different causes of car accidents, such as poor car main tenance, excess speed, and peer pressure to drive recklessly, and asks the students to look for the cause of each accident shown in the video. As Officer Louis speaks, Mr. Mu rphy writes key words on the board for later reference. Before the video begins, Mal Li n, who has a hearing impairment, moves her seat nearer the VCR monitor. She adj usts her amplification device once the sound begins. Huynh did not fully understand the officer's lecture. He heard the words excess speed . He knows speed means "fast," but he d id not understand what excess speed might mean . While watching the video, he notices the camera zooms onto a speed limit sign that says 65 and t hen zooms onto the car's speedometer, which shows 80. He thinks, "Perhaps excess means too much ." He turns to Thuy and asks him in Vietnamese whether excess means "too much. " Thuy confirms that it does. After stu dents have viewed the video, Mr. Murphy and Officer Louis review the video and key terms. Mr. Mur phy asks, "Does anyone know what excess speed means?" Huynh volunteers, "I think It means too much." "How did you figure that out?" t he police officer asks. "80 is more than 65, " replies Huynh. Mr. Murphy praises his strategy, "That's good, Huynh. You used the video pictu res to understand the term ." Next, Officer Louis puts students In pairs with the state's driving code manual. He asks the students to determine wh ich ru les were broken and what caused each of the accidents shown in the video. Mal Lin and Chr istina work together. They sit side by side so Christina can speak directly into Ma l Lin 's hearing aid . Christi na suggests one r ule that was broken. "I n the second accident, the driver turned in the wrong place." Mal Lin questions Mr. Murphy about ways to check their answers. He reminds her of the diagrams and recommends she refer to the code manual. Christina remembers that there was a sign on the road just before the accident happened. She searches through the book and matches the sign she remembers with the no-U-turn sign and reads the rule to Mal Lin. Mal Lin agrees, "Oh . That's the rule the driver broke. No U-t urn." Discussion

Students are encouraged to

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ESL Standards for Pre-K- l2 Smdcnts: Grades 9- l2

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• ask a classmate whether a particular word or phrase is correct • use written sources to discover or check information • associate realia or diagrams with written labels to learn vocabulary or construct meaning In th is vignette, Huynh hypothesizes the meaning of excess by relating Officer Lou is's spoken language with the v isuals he saw In the video. This strategy allows him to understand language he has not encountered before and to learn its meaning . He then checks his hypothesis wi th his peer, Thuy, In VIetnamese. This strategy allows him to validate his hypothesis. Mr. Murphy also helps his class by record ing key terms on the board as the police officer speaks and then reviewing them after the students have seen the video. This strategy particularly benefits Mai Lin who needs some occasional accommodations in class to compensate for her hearing loss. As Mal Lin and Christina work to determine the causes of t he accidents, they ask Mr. Murphy for some assistance. He reminds them to recall the video and examine the diagrams in th e driving code manual. Because Mal Lin agrees with Christina's suggestions that the ca r turned in the wrong place, they check in the book for the visual Christina remembered seeing to find the correct term for it. By using this strategy, they learn the expression, U-turn, and find the related driving rule.

Goal 2, St andard 1 To use English t o achieve aca demically in all content areas:St udents will use En glish to interact in t h e cl assroom Descript ors

• • • • • • • • •

following oral and written directions, implicit and explicit requesting and providing clarification participating in fu ll -class, group, and pair discussions asking and answering questions requesting information and assistance negotiating and managing Interaction to accompl ish tasks explaining actions elaborating and extend ing other people's Ideas and words expressing likes, dislikes, and needs

Sa mple Progre ss I ndicators

• interpret a teacher's indirect command to behave appropriately • ask a teacher or peer to confirm one's understanding of directions to complete an assignment • justify changes in assignments or the need for an extension • request supplies to complete an assignment • use polite forms to negotiate and reach consensus • follow directions to form g rou ps • negotiate cooperative roles and task assignments • take turns when spea king in a group • modify a statement made by a peer • paraphrase a teacher's directions orally or in writing • respond to a teacher's general school-related small talk • explain the reason for being absent or late to a teacher • negotiate verbally to identify role In preparation for a group/class presentation • ask a teacher to restate or simplify directions • join in a group response at t he appropriate time

ESL Standards for Pre-K-12 Students: Orndcs 9-12

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o listen to and Incorporate a peer's feedback regarding classroom behavior • greet a teacher when entermg class • distribute and collect classroom materials o share classroom materials and work successfully woth a partner • ask for assistance with a task 9· 12 V ignette Grade Level : Tenth grade In a self-contained ESL class English Proficiency Level : Low intermediate Language of Instruction : English Focus of Instruction: Language arts Location: Suburban school district in the Southwest Backgr ound The following vognette describes a tenth -grade ESL class on a Southwest suburban high school. All or the 21 students are native Spanish speakers who have been In the Unoted States from 1 to 2 years . Most of the students arroved from Mexoco and were literate In Spanish. However, three of the students had limited formal schoolong before coming to the United States. On the whole, the class is at a low lntermedoate -level of English proficoency. Several students are more comfortable wrltong and readong than they are speaking . The students in this class have two periods of ESL instruction daily. Their teacher Is an experienced, certified English speaker who recently has completed her masters degree In ESL education. She speaks Spanish and uses It on occasion in the class. Instr uctional Sequen ce As the ESOL students enter the classroom, Ms. Judson greets each of them and asks how they are. She uses a variety of phrases: "Good morning." • HI. How are you?" 'How's ot going?' "How are you feeling?" She also asks lndivodual students some questions about other classes, assignments, tests, presentations, and so forth. Ms. Judson generally spends the first few monutes of class on this way; she calls this a warm-up. Two of the students have been absent for a couple of days and Ms. Judson asks them why. Jose replies, "I was sick." Rafael nods his head and says, "Me too . I had e flu. I couldn't finish my reading paper. Could I stay after school? I have some Questions for you .• Ms. Judson agrees to meet woth him later. For the past few weeks, Ms. Judson has been working with this class on literature response. In her regular English classes, she engages the students In reading and responding to poems, short stories, and novels, and she wants her ESOL students to have the same kind of experiences . Two weeks earlier she had explained to the students that the focus of t he literature study Is their own personal response to literature - - what they think and feel about what they are reading. Since that time, Ms. Judson has worked to engage all of the students on sharing their ideas and feelings. More students are responding now, but she is dissatisfoed woth how the students listen and converse woth each other. Virtually all of the comments are dorected to her, and the students do not listen to and respond to each others' comments. She decides to try to demonstrate how she wants the students to work together. She asks the students to sit In two circles with the classroom chairs making an Inner circle and an outer circle. She distributes copies of a Plrl Thomas poem, "La Peseta," about a teenage boy caught taking money from his father's dresser. The poem Is lighthearted, and

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some Spanish is sprinkled throug hout. Ms. Judson tells the students that she Is going to read the poem and then ask the inner circle of students to ta lk about their reactions. She tells the students that she is not going to respond this time; she is going to take notes on what they say. She also asks t he students in the outer circle to pay close attention to what the ones In the inner circle are doing . "How do they behave with each other? How do they work together?" Ms. Judson reads the poem out loud and then says, "So, what do you want to say about this poem? How do you respond?" She then lowers her head and prepares to write. Some students in the outer circle begi n to chat quiet ly. Ms. Judson looks up and clears her throat. Jasm ine elbows Rosa, and they settle down. After some si lence and shuffli ng, one student in the Inner circle comments and then another. Because Ms. Judson does not make eye contact with the group members, they gradually beg in to make eye contact with each other and pay more attention to what each person is saying . They beg in to bu ild on previous statements, agreeing or disagreeing, as t hey become more conversational. After about 10 minutes, Ms. Judson stops t he discussion and asks the students in the outer circle to comment on what they saw . The first few remar ks focus on the content of what the inner circle group said. Ms. Judson acknowledges these observations but explains that she wants the students to think about how the students treated each other. "How did they behave? What did they do in the group?" Eventually, one of the students offers, "They looked at each other." Another says, "They listen, they pay attention . One studen t says what she thinks.'' Ms. Judson writes down the students' commen ts. Finally, Ms. Judson summarizes what she heard the students say about how the group worked together and adds her own comments about the d iscussion. "We heard you use English in a number of different ways. For Instance, you used Eng lish to agree and disagree, sayi ng things li ke, 'I don't thin k he should have asked his father first' or 'I agree he needs to learn to act better.' You also asked questions if you d idn't understand what someone meant or you rephrased your remark so the others could understand. Most of you also gave reasons for your opinions." She suggests that the students t hink about t he interaction, because this might be helpful for them In future group work . In the days that follow, Ms. Judson continues to work with literature response, using some poems by Gary Soto and short stories by Piri Thomas and Sandra Cisneros. She notices that more of the studen ts are listening to each other and attend ing to others' comments instead of paying attention only to her and her comments. Discussion Students are encouraged to • • • • •

respond to a teacher' s general school- related small talk explain the reason for being absent or late to a teacher listen to and incorporate a peer's feedback regard ing classroom behavior interpret a teacher's Indirect command to behave appropriately j ustify changes in assignments or the need for an extension

Ms. Judson believes that one of the functions of the ESL classroom is to prepare students for mainstream classes by provid ing some of the same exper iences they will have there. Therefore, she incorporates activities such as li terature response in her lessons. She lik es this activity because it gives her students mu ltiple opportunities to speak English, when some are reluctant to do so. Each class period beg ins wit h small talk. Ms. Judson wants the studen ts to be

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comfortable with the type of casual Interaction that takes place between teachers and students. Jose and Rafael are able to explain an absence as well as a reason for not completing an assignment. Rafael asks for the teacher's assistance in finishing the task. For loterature study, Ms. Judson chooses poems and short stones by Hispanic authors. She believes that her ESOL students will relate well to these selections cu lturally and personally. She reads the texts out loud while the students follow along, as a strategy to assist students with limited formal schooling. Ms. Judson has found that it Is most effective to demonstrate the classroom behaviors she wants the students to engage In and then talk about them. Therefore, she asks some of the students to watch the others as they respond to the poem and then analyze what they did. To keep the students on task, Ms. Judson uses some Indirect commands, such as throat clearing and eyebrow raising . Her students have learned to interpret these appropriately and modify their behavior. Jasmine used a nonverbal gesture to communicate with Rosa. Because many of the ESOL students are less used to speaking up and being •on stage," the inner and outer circle technique worked well. Students Inside needed to listen and respond to peer's comments, and feedback from the outer circle peers on the inner circle interaction was useful In later lessons with literature response components. The students demonstrated their ability to use English for a variety of conversational functions, such as agreement, justification, and clanficat1on. Ms. Judson hopes that w1th the in-class emphasis on listening and conversing, her ESOL students Will eventually feel comfortable conversing with non -ESOL students.

9 -12 Vi gnette Grade Level : Eleventh-twelfth grade in a dental careers class English Proficoency Level : Intermediate to advanced Language of Instruction: English Focus of Instruction: Computer technology Location : Suburban school district In the Northwest

The following vignette describes an Introductory dental careers class located in a professional technical center In a large suburban school district. Students learn theoretical foundations of dentistry and perform basic technical skills In a simulated laboratory setting. The teacher, Mrs. Mason, is a monolingual English speaker with minimal training 1n working with ESOL students. The class is composed of eleventh- and twelfth-grade students of whom approximately 50% are ESOL students with Intermediate to nearly nat1vellke proficoency in English . ESOL students come from South America, Korea, Vietnam, the Ukraine, and the Middle East. I nstr u ct ional Sequence In today's lesson, Mrs. Mason has taken students to the Internet lab to locate articles or information related to dental careers, which they will then summarize In their article summary journals. This is the first time the entire class has visited the lab. Some students have virtually no experience with Internet research, while others have enough experience that t hey are able to assist classmates with problems. Mrs. Mason offers the students the option of working with a partner at the computer, although each student must select a separate artocle.

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